Portable motion picture projector



A ril 28 119% V w. H. BAUCH 2,0385% PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR Filed Aug. 25, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Invenior William H. .Bauch,

Attorneys. 7

PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR Filed Aug. 23, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet Inveniar, William H .BQZZCh, By fimut' wgalam PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR Filed Aug. 23, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor, William H. Balm/ 2 y iwwgzw rm Attorneys,

April 28, 1936. W. H EAUCH 2,? &52

I PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR Filed Aug. 25, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Invenior;

WiLiiam H. Banach,

Aprifi 2& 1936 W. H. BAUCH 29 &

PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR Filed Aug. 25, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inn/"672501";

William H. .Bcwch,

Abiarneys;

Patented Apr. 2 8, 1936 PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR William H. Bauch, Shelbyville, Ind., assignor to Pembroke W. Cornelius, Indianapolis, Ind., doing business under the name and style of Cornelius Engineering Company Application August 23, 1933, Serial No. 686,420

10 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of motion picture and sound on film projecting and reproducing machines and has for one of its primary objects the insulating of the film moving mechanism as related to the optical system from the sound reproducing system whereby the reproduced sound will be free from the otherwise interference set up by vibrations and noise arising particularly from the intermittent mechanism.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a, structure that may be embodied in separate units capable of being attached and detached one from the other so that a portable machine may be produced to have a very low weight and still utilize the standard width films. It is my intention to provide a structure of the nature above indicated which may be perfectly reliable under alloperating conditions and be so constructed that the various units may be easily and quickly assembled wherever the machine is to be employed. Many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of the invention as illustrated by the accompanying' drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a left hand side elevation;

Fig. 3, a rear elevation;

Fig. 4, a left hand elevation on an enlarged scale showing the units in a disassembled relation;

Fig. 5, a right hand elevation;

Fig. 6, a detail in right hand vertical elevation on a further enlarged scale;

Fig. 7, a detail in vertical section on a still further enlarged scale;

Fig. 8, a detail in side elevation of the sound 40 assembly, and

Fig. 9, a top plan view of the sound assembly.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

I provide a suitable base Ill here shown as having front and rear mounting brackets II and I2 respectively to adjustably support the base. On this base I0, I secure a motor attaching bracket l3 to which the operating motor I4 is secured. Preferably a control switch and outlet box I 5 is also attached to the bracket l3. A horizontally disposed shelf I6 is provided on the top side of the bracket l3 toward the forward side thereof and a vertically disposed plate I! extends. upwardly from the bracket 3 to have a centrally disposed, reenforcing web l8 provided between the rear side of the plate I! and the top of the bracket IS. The plate N, Fig. 3, is provided with a pair of slots l9 and 26 extending vertically downward from the top edge of the 5 plate.

The principal actuating mechanism is carried within a housing 2| which has a base 22 adapted to rest on the shelf I6 with a rear face 23 extending vertically upward therefrom adapted to 10 fit against the front side of the plate H. A pair of cap screws 24 and 25 are screw-threadedly engaged in the housing 2| to extend from the face 23 rearwardly and slidably enter within the slots l9 and 20 so that the heads of the 15 screws may be brought up to bear against the rear side of the plate I! and thereby firmly secure the housing 2| to the bracket I3.

On the back side of the housing 2| toward the left side thereof, I attach a bracket 26 to have a rearwardly extending arm with a smooth vertically disposed face on the right side thereof, against which a plate 21 may be carried in sliding contact. This plate 21 has a rib 28 extending, laterally under the extending arm of the bracket 26 to be normally in contact therewith. A thumb screw 29 is carried through a slot 30 in the arm of the bracket 26 to screwthreadedly engage the plate 21 so that the plate 21 may be shifted horizontally along the bracket arm within the limits of the length of the slot 30. The plate 2! is attached to the lamp housing 3|. The slot 30 is of such length and is so located in reference to the housing 2| that when the screw 29 is carried to the extreme rear end of the slot, the housing 3| will then be correctly positioned to properly focus the light coming from the housing and traversing the machine housing 2|.

When the screw 29 is carried to the extreme forward end of the slot 38, the lamp housing 3| is then moved to its forward limit of travel whereby the forward end of the lamp housing is then adjacent the rear side of the housing 2| with only that amount of clearance therebetween which will prevent damage to the adjacent parts. The shiftable mounting of the lamp housing thus described is provided to permit the carrying of the lamp housing 3| in close relation with the machine housing 2| while the projector is being transported or is in storage and is further provided so that the housing 3| when in the rearwardly extended position is properly positioned.

A cord 32 extends from the under side of the lamp housing 3| and is provided with an attaching plug 33 to be entered into the top side of the switch box l5. Also on the rear side of the machine housing 2| and below the bracket 26 is mounted an exciter lamp housing 34 from which a cable 35 leads to be interconnected through the switch box l5 by the plug 36. A light sensitive cell housing 3'. is mounted on the forward face of the housing 2|. A cable 38 leads from this cell to any suitable amplifying means (not shown). The forward and under faces of the housing 2| are joined by an oblique face 39. Against this face 39 is positioned the foot 40 of a film reel box 4|, the box being there retained by means of studs 42 and 43 extending through slotted cars 44 and 45 of the film box to be engaged by thumb nuts 4t and 41.

The upper side of the housing 2| is horizontally disposed and receives thereon the film box 48 removably secured by means of the studs 49 and 50 extending through the box ears 5| and 52 to receive the thumb nuts 53 and 54.

Referring now principally to Fig. 6, a film 55 is carried downwardly from the upper box 48 to be threaded around the reel Withdrawing sprocket 56 and thence upwardly and around in a free loop to be carried downwardly through the optical film gate 51, thence around the framing spool 58 and up over the intermittent drive sprocket 59, from which the film 55 is allowed to hang in a free loop. From this last loop, the film is carried over the constant drive sprocket 50, from which the film is then directed downwardly through the sound gate 6| from which the film is then carried into the box 4|, which box has a central shaft 62 carrying a pulley 63 which is belt driven from the main drive shaft 54. Particular attention is invited to the fact that all of the film shifting sprockets above indicated are revolubly supported on a sub-frame 55. There is but one other driving sprocket than those above mentioned and this is the sprocket 66 which is below the sound gate 6| employed to pull the film through the gate 6|. This sprocket 66, it is to be noted, is mounted directly upon the shaft 64.

The sub-frame consists in reality of a pair of spaced apart plates 61 and 68 which supports the intermediate gearing between the sprockets 56, 59 and 60, such intermediate gearing not being shown since it is well known to those versed in the art and its details do not enter specifically into my invention. It is sufficient to'state that in this transmission system, the usual Geneva star intermittent drive is employed in connection with a sprocket 59, this intermittent mechanism being confined within the box 69, Fig. 6. This intermittent type of drive which, as is well known, is employed to intermittently draw the film 55 past the light aperture in the gate 51 whereby the film as in the usual practice is permitted to come to a complete stop for each frame. The employment of this intermittent drive sets up quite a little vibration as well as noise and I have found in practice that where this mechanism is employed in the same machine which is utilized to reproduce sound from a light track on the film, such sound and/or vibration seem to effect the reproduction of this sound. I find that if the sub-frame 65 which supports the various driving sprockets, the transmission gearing therebetween, and the intermittent drive itself, is insulated from the housing 2|, then there is no interference from this driving mechanism whatsoever and a more perfect reproduction of the sound is obtained.

To this end, the entire sub-frame 65 is insulated from the housing 2| by a structure now to be described. The back plate 68 of the sub frame 65 is supported from the left side of the housing 2| by means of a plurality of screws 10, here shown as three in number, two at the top and one at the bottom, Figs. 2, 4, 6 and '7. Since direct connection of the screw with the housing and the sub-frame would transmit vibrations and sound, I provide insulating means comprising an insulating thimble ll through which the screw 10 passes and provide a socket on the inner side of the housing wall into which this thimble fits snugly. I further interpose a cork washer 12 between the outer end of the thimble H and the base of the socket. concentrically with the inner socket is an outer socket in which is placed a cork washer 13 to bear against the base of the socket anl then a metallic washer 14 against which the head of the screw 10 bears. The screw 10 in each case screw-threadedly engages the plate 68 so that by drawing up the screw 10, the various insulating members, the thimble 1|, and washers l2 and 13 are compressively drawn toward the intervening annular flange 15 which separates and defines the two sockets above indicated.

In further reference to the power drive of the projecting machine, the motor I4 is provided with a driving pulley 16 here shown as being of the double sheave type to carry the pair of belts I1 and 18 which pass around the larger driven pulley 19 which is fixed to the shaft 64. This shaft 64 is revolubly carried by the housing 2| through the lower portion thereof to carry the lower sprocket 66 as above indicated. This shaft 64 further carries a pulley within the housing 2|. A window is provided in the housing so that a belt 8| may be carried about the pulley B0 and also about the pulley 63 frictionally carried on the shaft 62 mounted in the lower film box 4| as a means of rewinding the film. The shaft 64 is not gear connected with the film movement mechanism insofar as the optical system is concerned but is drivingly connected therewith by means of a chain 84.

The sub-frame 55 with its driving members carried thereby constitutes a separate assembly which may be assembled outside of the machine and then positioned therein without having to try to get at the various parts within the limited space provided and trying to assemble them as has heretofore been the practice. The assembly is sufiiciently narrow in width to permit clearance for the centrally positioned lens tube which telescopes by its rear end with the gate mechanism more particularly described in another application about to be filed by me. The spool 58 employed in framing is carried by a slide 85 which is in turn shifted by means of the hand lever 81, the particular operating mechanism for adjusting this framing roller being well known to those versed in the art.

Below the assembly 55 above described, I mount another sub-assembly which embodies the means for transposing light beam fluctuations set up in passing a beam of light through the film sound track into electrical fluctuations. This sound sub-assembly comprises essentially a base plate 90, a slit plate 9!, the film gate 6|, a lens system carried within the tube 92, and the photo-electric cell housing 31, Figs. 6, 8 and 9. The assembly is made up as a unit and then placed in the frame 2[ and secured thereto by screws 94.

The film gate Bl comprises a tubular member 95 which is supported from the base 90 by a bracket 96, here shown as being an integral part of the tube, a shiftable tubular telescoping tube 91, a head 98 on the tube 91, a cam lever 99, and the slit plate 9|. The cam lever is revolubly carried on the tube 91 to bear against the tube 95 under the pull of the spring I09 which is fixed between the bracket 96 and the head 98, the film 55 passes between the plate 9| and the head 98. The cell housing 3? is fixed to the bracket 96. A lateral spacing roller I9! is also carried by the base plate 90 to align the film 55 in relation to the slit plate. It is highly important that the lens tube and the slit plate 9! be exactly aligned, and further that the parts be so related that should they vibrate, they do so in unison so that the light beam as emanating from the exciter lamp I02 does not vibrate or shift in relation to the plate 9| which shifting would materially affeet the sound reproduction. Hence the lens tube and slit plate are assembled by means of a suitable aligning fixture and tools, the tube 92 being supported in the aligned position by the bracket I03 which extends from the base plate 90.

It is thus to be seen that from the foregoing description I have been able to produce a very compact device capable of being assembled in two principal units with the additional units embodying the upper and lower film cases or boxes, and thereby have provided a structure which may be easily transported in a knocked down condition and then assembled where used. Further by making a complete sub-assembly of the film moving mechanism insofar as the optical system is concerned, I am able to effectively insulate the noises and vibrations arising from such mechanism from a sound reproducing system carried by the same supporting housing.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one best form as now known to me, it is obvious that structural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a portable motion picture projector, a base, a central housing above the base, a motor carried by the base, a principal actuating mechanism housing detachably carried in the central housing, upper and lower film boxes detachably carried by the central housing, a projector lamp carried by the central housing, and means adjustably permitting shifting of the lamp housing toward the Central housing for a carrying position, said means automatically limiting the outward shifting of the lamp housing to the correct focusing position.

2. In a portable motion picture projector, a base, a motor carried by the base, an optical mechanism housing detachably carried by the base, upper and lower film boxes detachably carried by the housing, a projector lamp carried by the housing, and means adjustably permitting shifting of the lamp housing toward the housing for a carrying position, said means limiting the outward shifting of the lamp housing to the correct focusing position, said base having a frame fixed thereto with an upper shelf, a vertically disposed plate extension from the frame having open end slots therein, said mechanism housing having a base fitting on said shelf to have said plate extend upwardly along the housing, and

screws carried by the mechanism housing entered in said slots.

3. In a motion picture projector for projecting pictures, a housing, a sub-frame mounted in the housing, a sub-assembly embodying a film feed mechanism for the picture projection mounted in the sub-frame and removable therewith as a unit, a plurality of screws extending through said housing without touching the housing and engaging said sub-frame, a thimble around each screw spacing the sub-frame from the housing and seated in a centering socket in the housing, the heads of the screws being outside of the housing, and insulating members interposed between the screwhead and the housing and between the thimble and the housing.

4. In a portable motion picture projector, a base, a motor carried by the base, an optical mechanism housing detachably carried by the base, upper and lower film boxes detachably carried by the housing, a projector lamp carried by the housing, and means adjustably permitting shifting of the lamp housing toward the housing for a carrying position, said means limiting the outward shifting of the lamp housing to the correct focusing position, said base having a frame fixed thereto with an upper shelf, a vertically disposed plate extension from the frame having open end slots therein, said mechanism housing having a base fitting on said shelf to have said plate extend upwardly along the housing, and screws carried by the mechanism housing entered in said slots, an oblique face interconnecting said housing base and its front side, and said lower film box being secured to said oblique face.

5. In a motion picture projector, a central housing having a plurality of holes and insulating sockets concentric with the holes, a sub-frame supported by and within the housing, mechanism for carrying a film located within the sub-frame and removable as a unit therewith, insulations seated in the sockets in the housing screws much smaller in diameter than the diameter of the holes passing through the sockets and insulation and seated in the sub-frame and means cooperating with the sockets to space the sub-frame from the housing and to center the screws in the holes so they will not touch the housing.

6. In a motion picture projector, a central housing having a plurality of insulation sockets and an annular flange in each socket dividing it into inner and outer compartments, a sub-frame supported by and within the central housing, film mechanism located within the sub-frame and removable therewith as a unit, thimbles seated in the inner compartments of the central housing sockets and bearing against the sub-frame, and. a screw for each socket having its head in the outer compartment of the socket passing through holes in the flanges, much larger than the screws, without touching the. flanges and passing through the thimble in the inner compartment and seated in the sub-frame.

'7. In a motion picture projector, a central housing having a plurality of insulation sockets and an annular flange in each socket dividing it into inner and outer compartments, a sub-frame supported by and within the central housing, film mechanism located within the sub-frame and removable therewith as a unit, thimbles seated in the inner compartments of the central housing sockets and bearing against the sub-frame, a screw for each socket passing through holes in, the flanges, much larger than the screws, without touching the flanges and passing through the thimble in the inner compartment and seated in the sub-frame, and cork washers contacting each side of the annular flange, in each socket.

8. In a motion picture projector, a base, a motor, a motor attaching bracket secured to the base, said motor secured in the bracket, said bracket having a top vertically disposed plate with vertical slots, a housing above the bracket having a vertical face fitting against the plate, cap screws threadedly engaging the housing and slidably entering the slots of the plate, said housing having the principal actuating mechanism of the projector supported as a unit within the housing and insulated therefrom.

9. In a motion picture projector, a base, a motor, a motor attaching bracket secured to the base, said motor secured in the bracket, said bracket having a top vertically disposed plate with vertical slots, a housing above the bracket having a vertical face fitting against the plate, cap screws threadedly engaging the housing and slidably entering the slots of the plate, said housing having the principal actuating mechanism of the.

projector supported as a unit within the housing and insulated therefrom, a lower film reel-box supported by the housing, an upper reel-box supported upon the housing, a lamp, and means for adjustably supporting the lamp from the housing.

10. In a motion picture projector, having a base, a motor, a motor-attaching bracket secured to the base, said motor being secured within the bracket, of a horizontally disposed shelf on top of the bracket having a vertically disposed plate, said plate having vertical slots entering from the top edge of the plate, in combination with a housing resting upon the shelf and having a vertical face fitting against the plate, said housing containing the principal actuating mechanism of the projector, and cap screws threadedly engaging the housing and slidably entering the slots of the plate, said housing having a lower film reel box supported by the housing, and having an upper reel box supported upon the. housing, and also having a lamp and means for adjustably supporting the lamp from the housing.

WILLIAM H. BAUCH. 

